Roller-bearing.



No. 640,059. Patented Dec. 26, |899.

F. WHITNEY.

RoLLl-:R BEARING.

(Application filed Mar. 2, 1899.) N 0 M n d e I FRANK WHITNEY, OFWINNETKA, ILLINOIS.

ROLLER-BEARING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,059, dated December26, 1899.

Application filed March 2, 1899. Serial No. 707,497. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, FRANK WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Winnetka, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Roller-Bearings, of which thefollowing is a specification- Y My invention relates to roller-bearingsfor shafting; and the object of my improvement is to provide a slacktake-up or tightener for roller-bearings. I attain this object by themechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1represents ashaft with roller-bearings and cross-section oftightener-.coil with end-thrust ball-bearing; Fig. 2, a cross-section at2 of Fig. l. Fig 3 represents a shaft having ends broken away and a setof rollers forming roller-bearings for same. Fig. l is a detail of cageand roller. Figs. 5 and 6 are modications of the roller-bearing andtake-up.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My tightener for roller-bearings consists as I use and prefer it of adouble or two-ply coil of wire having Hat surfaces next the outer casingor bearing and also next the rollers, with beveled edges overlappingeach other as the coil is wound or run together, as shown by A B, Fig.l.

A and A2 in Figs. 5 and 6 represent modiflcations of my tightener.However, I use and prefer that shown in Fig. 1.

B represents the inner coil of my bearingtightener, and may be made oftwo or more sections having blank spaces B2.

B" is the roller, and C the cage for holding or steadying the rollers.

D is the main or outer support, at one end of which a groove and ballsupport is provided for steadying the bearing longitudinally.

F is the tightener-nut, which is turned outward or inward for looseningor tightening the shaft-bearing.

In the operation of the roller-bearing as it is used in the journal-boxfor the support of journals running at considerable speed much power issaved over the ordinary methods of friction-bearings. However, Ihavefound by actual experience and tests that there is much gained by properadjustment and by being held in proper position. My tightener or takeupovercomes one of the principal difficulties niet with in the use of theroller-bearings.

In construction and use the bearing or journal-box is made of -insidedimensions large enough to contain the cage of rollers and the take-upcoils closely fitted around the rollers. This bearing is placed upon thejournal in the usual manner and slid against the stop F in thejournal-box. In this position the tightener-cap F is screwed into theother end of the journal-box and against the tightenercoils. These coilscoming against the stationary stop F' at one end and the movablescrew-stop F at the other end may be compressed by screwing in the capF, and this lengthwise compression of the coils produces, by thewedge-shaped edges of the wire coils, sidewise expansion, and in thisway any degree of tightness may be obtained. When the pressure on thecoils is released by withdrawing the screw-cap F, the coils are sidewisecontracted by the elongation of the coils through the coil-springredundancy. Therefore roller-bearings provided with my tightener may bekept at all times sufficiently tight to prevent the troubles incident tothe use of loose boxes.

Deeming the above a sufficient description, what I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a roller-bearing, a slack take-up consistin g of a series'of coilsof beveled or wedgeshaped wire adapted to be expanded and means forexpanding the coils, substantially as described.

2. In roller-bearings, a take-up consisting of two coils of wire, across-section of which is pyramidal in form, the inner coil wound withthe flat surface next the rollers and the outer coil with the flatsurface next the boxing with the two beveled sides matching andOverlapping each other, and means for compressing said coilslongitudinally and thereby expanding said coils laterally, substantiallyas speciiied.

8. A roller-bearing tightener composed of coils of wire and means forexpanding said coils laterally, substantially as described.

4. A roller-bearing composed of the following elements: the usual cageand rollers and wedges surrounding the rollers having theirwedging-surfaees reversely "arranged, and means to move the Wedgesrelatively to each other.

S. In a roller-bearing, the combination of the rollers, an outer easing,two series of spirally-wound wedges surrounding the rollers and havingtheir wedging-surfaces opposed to each other, and means to move thespirals relatively to each other.

FRAN K WHITNEY,

lfitnesses:

C. WHITNEY, LOUISE WHITNEY.

